Review: Oxford Whispers by Marion Croslydon

Oxford Whispers

(Oxford Trilogy # 1)

By: Marion Croslydon

Pub. Date: October 8, 2012

Publisher: Carlux Publishing

Pages: 324

Source: Author

Madison LeBon is dead set against the dead.

Her fresh start at Oxford University is a brand new beginning. She finally has a chance to turn the page on her psychic powers and cumbersome voodoo heritage. Snakes, dolls, ghosts, and spirits: Farewell…

Not quite.

When the tragic lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class—begin to haunt her, she must accept her gift before life imitates art. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a Puritan from the English Civil War. Unfortunately, said nemesis is now going all homicidal on Madison.

College becomes more complicated when she falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of the characters in the painting. With the spirit of a murderer after her, Madison realizes that her own first love may also be doomed…

I love stories where characters from today’s time period have to solve mysteries from the past, which is why I was very excited to review Oxford Whispers.  Characters in a painting are haunting the main character! I knew this book would be for me. While I did enjoy a lot of aspects to this novel, other parts fell flat for me.

Madison comes from a Louisiana family where the females have all gone crazy because they have the power to associate with the dead. When she leaves all that behind to go to college at Oxford, the last thing she expected was to be swept up into the problems of ghosts. But that is exactly what happened. The subjects of the 1855 William Shakespeare Burton painting, The Wounded Cavalier, who died in the 1650’s are haunting Madison, and one desperately needs help, while the other wants Madison dead.

The story was very interesting to me. I wanted to see how it all came together. I felt that a lot of my questions weren’t answered though, and I finished the book more confused than ever. But I loved finding out other answers and following the mystery along with Madison.

I also didn’t feel connected to the characters. Madison just annoyed me. I enjoyed Rupert’s (the love interest) POV though. I thought he was very complex. 

The setting of Oxford Whispers was what I really enjoyed. Everything was explained beautifully. I felt like I was roaming the old halls with Madison, and driving through the country in Rupert’s car.

Overall, I really did enjoy Oxford Whispers and I am excited to read the second book, where Madison has to solve a Tudor mystery. I love the Tudors!